Illegal Mining Activities And Lead Poison Tragedy In Zamfara

Many observers be

            lieve that the discovery of vast deposits of various solid minerals in Zamfara State would raise the state’s economic fortunes and their conviction is reinforced by the government’s avowed commitment to developing the mining sector.

On June 1, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated a mineral-processing factory in Zamfara, which was established under a public/private partnership between the state government and a Chinese firm.

The celebration by the people on that day was, therefore, understandable.

However, barely a week after that event, the people’s joy turned to a tragedy, as news broke out about the death of 163 children in Anka and Bukkuyum local government areas of the state due to lead poisoning.

The lead poisoning, environmental experts and medics have claimed, emanated from pollution that resulted from illegal mining activities in the affected areas over time, particularly by those in search of gold.

Reports credited to Mr Henry Akpan, the Chief Epidemiologist of the Federal Ministry of Health, indicated that the dangerous substances afflicted over 355 persons in four villages.

The health and environmental experts said that the victims were infected through contact with corrosive chemical substances confirmed as poisonous lead, in course of their mining activities that ignored safety rules.

Mr Sani Shehu, the National President of the Mining Association of Nigeria (MAN) blames the tragedy on “illegal mining activities” which, he says, the association had been fighting.

He explains that most minerals contain one kind of impurities or the other, while some of them could be radioactive in nature.

“That is why when you are operating a formalised form of mining, issues like safety, radioactivity and other poisonous gases will be discussed and addressed,” he says.

Shehu further explains that mining is a well-regulated profession, stressing that “if you want to be a miner, there are rules and regulations that must be followed”.

Many observers, nonetheless, bemoan the inability of relevant government agencies to foresee the calamity, knowing fully the dangers that are associated with illegal mining activities.

The Zamfara State Government, which many criticise as not being proactive enough, describes the tragedy as unfortunate and gives the assurance that it is rising to the challenges of the calamity.

The Commissioner of Health, Dr Sa’ad Idris, says that the government has approved N240 million for immediate response to the disaster.

He stresses that a rapid response team has been dispatched to the four mining communities of Yangalma Dareta, Tungan Daji and Abara where the disasters occurred, with a view to curtailing the devastating effects of the poisonous substances.

Idris says that the team comprised officials of the state and federal governments, Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta, U.S., WHO, Red Cross and Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders).

The commissioner says that team will coordinate efforts to evacuate the residents of the affected communities, scoop their contaminated topsoil and replace them with pollution-free soil, among other measures.

Alhaji Muhammadu Bello, the Head of Dareta, a tiny settlement with an estimated population of 1,000, laments that his community lost 61 children to the tragedy.

“We started noticing strange ailments with symptoms such as stomach pains and vomiting about a year ago,” he recalls.

Bello expatiates that scores of pregnant women in the village also suffered miscarriages at various times, while some strange ailments were reported to appropriate local government authorities.

He notes that even though the council officials administered drugs on the victims, the situation failed to abate, as more people continued to die mysteriously.

Alhaji Ahmed Dansarki, the Chairman of Anka Local Government Council, explains the council’s position on the development:

“When the council realised that the number of deaths increased despite its intervention, we reported the matter to the Ministry of Health, which also raised a team of experts that came with a fresh consignment of drugs to the affected areas,” he says.

Investigations, however, reveal that it was only after the international organisation, “Medicins Sans Frontiers” suggested an examination of the victims’ blood samples in Germany that the truth unfolded.

“The blood specimens sent to Germany confirmed that the effected children suffered from lead poisoning,” Idris admits.

The health commissioner says that the lead substances were released into the environment through illegal mining activities.

Idris concedes that there had been illegal gold mining activities in the two local governments, adding, however, that the activities assumed a greater dimension, particularly in the last one year.

He notes that the adverse effects of the activities include contaminated soil, water and foods, which, he adds, have adversely affected the people’s health.

“The adverse effects of lead poisoning are more pronounced in children who suffer permanent learning and behaviour problems and eventually meet their death.

“It could also lead to miscarriages in pregnant women,” Idris says.

However, medical experts are quick to point out that there are also long-term effects of lead poisoning, where death does not occur immediately.

Dr Antonio Neri, a medical expert with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) based in Atlanta, the U.S., is currently assisting the state government in efforts to control the disaster.

Neri says that lead poisoning in children can result in brain damage, adding that the poison’s effects on an environment could affect many generations of residents for over 15 years.

All the same, the question many observers have been asking is: Why did the state government fail to realise the imminent dangers of the illegal mining operations?

Some of them are of the opinion that the state government may have many things to hide with regard to the tragedy.

They make allusion to an acknowledgement by Gov. Mahmuda Shinkafi during a media chat last year that illegal mining activities were going on in various parts of the state.

Shinkafi then conceded that the state government had identified over 10,000 illegal miners, pledging that the miners would be coordinated into groups for government’s possible assistance and control through regulations.

Many citizens are appalled by the involvement of school-age children in the illegal mining activities to the extent that their education is largely jeopardised.

This development is particularly a source of concern to a senior citizen, Alhaji Halilu Marafan Anka.

He says: “What is more disturbing is the fact that most children in the area have now abandoned school in search of gold, despite the attendant health hazards of the business.”

Marafa’s worry is somewhat justifiable, as a young miner, Malam Abubakar Dareta, admits that “the mining business, although a difficult task, is quite lucrative.

“We earn about N10,000 at good times and some even make an average of N5,000 daily,” he says.

Analysts view the recent disaster with grave concern and urge relevant agencies to make concerted efforts to assuage the victims’ suffering.

They also want the authorities to evolve measures to stem illegal mining activities in the area, so as to maximise the economic potential of the sector.

Yari writes for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Umar Yari